Real vs. Steal – Valentino Rockstud PVC Pool Slide Sandals

September 7, 2018

So let’s talk summer footwear for a moment. Sporty slip-On rubber sandals to be exact. They became quite popular in the last couple of years (think Rihanna’s Bow Slide Sandals for Puma from last year) and now that they’ve officially left the realm of being considered functional sportswear only, designers have caught on and try to cash in on this trend. And while I do think these studded pool slides are pretty cute and stylish and as much as I love everything Valentino Rockstud, $345 for a pair of rubber pool slide sandals is not a price I am willing to pay! Not even for a fancy pair like this one.

Capelli Eva Studded Slide Sandals

Update (09/07/2018): Discovered another fab and super budget-friendly Valentino Rockstud pool slide dupe today! These studded PVC sandals are by Capelli New York, come in black and blush pink and are less than $20. Steal deal alert!

EGO Tyga Studded Detail Sliders

Update (09/07/2018): Also stumbled upon these pyramid studded pool slide sandals by EGO which look just like the Valentino real deal, come in pink, black and red and are on sale for £14.99. Love these!

Express Studded Pool Slide Sandals

Thankfully Express doesn’t let us down when it comes to fancy poolside appropriate footwear à la Valentino as they have managed to come up with a fantastic set of almost identical Rockstud dupes available in black or blush pink for $39.90 (now on sale for $23.94). A price which could still be considered to be rather steep for a pair of rubber shoes, but since it’s a pretty good dupe that also happens to cost 90% less than the original real deal, I think we shouldn’t complain too much about inflated pool sandal prices in this particular case.

Linzi Martino Studded Slip-On Slides

If you are looking for a cheaper alternative, check out the Martino slip-on sandals by Linzi. They do look a bit cheap, yes, but considered they cost only £12 I think that is to be expected. Available in black, pink and white PVC.

Forever 21 Studded Slide Sandals

Last but not least are these lovely Rockstud look-alike sandals I spotted at Forever 21. They’re currently on sale for $10.99 and also happen to be my favorite Valentino pool slide dupes regarding both the price *and* the look, but unfortunately they’re also almost sold out, so I wouldn’t get my hopes up too much.